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The Fires of Pharos
| number=2| writer=Dan Abnett & Ian Edgington| penciler=Patrick Zircher| inker=Greg Adams| colorist=Marie Javins| letterer=Janice Chiang| published=March 1997| publisher=Marvel Comics| pages=40| story=22| omnibus=The Complete Comic Book Collection (2008); Star Trek Omnibus, Volume 2 (2009)| date=2254| stardate=2378.1| |}} :Battle with the Klingons! The Fires of Pharos is a Star Trek: The Original Series comic published by Marvel-Paramount Comics in 1997, it is the second issue in the Star Trek: Early Voyages series, set during Christopher Pike's captaincy of the . The story sees the Enterprise arrive in the Marrat system (after its mission was delayed in the previous issue); there the Enterprise battles with Marrat brigand pirates and Klingons to secure the dangerous Marrat Nebula. Summary In the Marrat Nebula… Lieutenant Tyler moves the USS Enterprise through evasive maneuver sigma-delta-one before turning the starship about to finish driving off the remainder of hostile fleet that had been attacking Starbase 13. With the starbase’s docking array damaged and communications out, a team lead by Captain Pike beams over to assess the situation. The team is greeted by Commodore Hal Wyeth, as Yeoman Cusack helps the medical personal set up a triage center to help the starbase’s wounded the Commodore fills Pike and Spock in on the local situation; The station, originally built to help police the dangerous region, has itself come under siege in a response by local pirateers to another Starfleet plan to bring order to the region in Project Pharos, the building of a huge "lighthouse" on a nearby planet. What's more, while they were drilling the foundations for the lighthouse, the engineering teams found vast amounts of extremely pure dilithium, and the Commodore fears this valuable find has been leaked when, two hours earlier, contact was lost with the engineering teams on the planet. Elsewhere in the Nebula… Klingon Commander Kaaj punishes one of his officers for doubting his command abilities and then takes his ship in pursuit of the Enterprise as she moves off from Starbase 13. On the Enterprise, Captain Pike informs a badly disrupted Commodore Wyeth of the Enterprise’s progress towards the Pharos siteworld and receives a word of warning from the experienced veteran of the region "expect the unexpected". In response the Captain has Mr Tyler commence broadband sensor sweeps to locate the said unexpected. Meanwhile, Spock finishes his analysis of the earlier brigand attack. The fleet consisted of an unusual combination of Orion, Arcturan, Khodini and renegade Human vessels. With evidence of a deadly criminal alliance Pike moves the ship up to Yellow Alert as the Enterprise reaches her destination. approaching the Pharos siteworld]] Number One leads a landing party to investigate the lighthouse and quickly find evidence of recent disruptor fire before coming under fire from Klingons themselves. Above, the Enterprise is also engaged by the Klingons. Unusually efficient Klingons who take advantage of the Starfleet vessel's weaknesses. Kaaj decimates main engineering before making himself known to Pike demanding a surrender. Meanwhile, below, Yeoman Cusack attempts to lighten the mood by relaying a tale of his and Pike's earlier encounters with the Tholians. Above, Pike and Kaaj engage in a battle of words, Pike refusing to surrender whilst Kaaj threatens the Enterprise's destruction and warns of his perceived Federation ploy to keep the rich dilithium deposits on the unclaimed world below to itself could lead to war. At a stalemate Pike looks for an alternative solution… On the Pharos siteworld, Number One successfully leads the landing party behind the attacking Klingons and defeats their opponents. Then, upon finding survivors from the engineering teams, beams back to the Enterprise. Pike having devised his new strategy arms phasers. Kaaj warns of escalating the situation, to which Pike retorts that is exactly what he wishes to avoid, and fires... on the planet! The planet ignites into a blazing beacon, which Spock estimates given the vast fuel reserves of the body will burn for decades to come. Detecting a new group of Federation vessels moving into the area, the Klingons depart, but not before Kaaj warns; Pike owes him a blood debt for his humiliation, "BortaS bir jablu’DI reH QaQqu’nay" (Revenge is a dish best served cold)... References Characters :Phillip Boyce • Gabrielle Carlotti • Cayman • Dermot Cusack • Kaaj, son of Torg • Kir • Kolj • Moves-With-Burning-Grace • Sita Mohindas • Nano • Number One • Christopher Pike • Raeger • Spock • José Tyler • Virka • Hal Wyeth • [[Unnamed USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) personnel|unnamed USS ''Enterprise personnel]] • unnamed Starbase 13 personnel • [[Unnamed IKS Varchas personnel|unnamed IKS Varchas personnel]] Starships and vehicles : ( ) • ( battle cruiser) • unnamed brigand starships Locations :Marrat Nebula • Marrat system • Starbase 13 • Pharos siteworld • Project Pharos Races and cultures :Arcturan • Human • Khodini • Klingon • Lirin • Orion • Vulcan Tholian States and organisations :Federation Starfleet • Klingon Empire • Marrat brigand • United Federation of Planets Science and technology :dilithium • disruptor • EPS conduit • ion storm • phaser • photon torpedo • tricorder • warp engine Ranks and titles :captain • chief engineer • commander • commodore • doctor • fleet admiral • nurse • yeoman Other references :blood debt • evasive maneuvers • Fort Apache • gold rush • landing party • lighthouse • main engineering • transporter room • war Timeline Chronology This comic takes place very shortly after the preceding issue, "Flesh of My Flesh", which saw the Enterprise diverted from the mission shown in this issue. It occurs some time before "Our Dearest Blood", which itself takes place shortly before "The Cage", placing this comic in 2254. ;Stardate 2378.1 (c. 2254) :The arrives in the Marrat system to support Starbase 13 against brigand attacks. The Enterprise discovers the attacks are being orchestrated by the Klingon Kaaj, attempting to sabotage Starfleet's Project Pharos. (Events of the story. No calendar date given, but the stardate is close to those of other ''Early Voyages stories which take place around the episode "The Cage", in 2254.) Production history *'1997, March', first published by Marvel Comics *'2008, September', re-released on The Complete Comic Book Collection DVD, by Graphic Imaging Technologies. *'2009, May', reprinted in Star Trek Omnibus, Volume 2, by IDW Publishing. Appendices Background *This issue features a slightly revised version of the Star Trek: Early Voyages title; the original title from the previous, and first, issue of the series, "Flesh of My Flesh", arranged the titles on a slight curve. This issues straight line version of the title continued to be used until the fourth issue of the series. The fifth issue reinstated the curved design, which remained in use until the conclusion of the series. *Amongst the 18 pages of advertisements in this comic is one page that advertises subscriptions to Marvel's comic, highlighting Star Trek comics with an image of the . Another page advertises toys produced by Playmates to tie in with the film Star Trek: First Contact. * The uniforms of the Starbase 13 personnel are shown with a distinctive assignment patch which appears only in this issue. Image:Starbase 13 cmd patch.jpg|Command division patch. Image:Starbase 13 ops patch.jpg|Operations division patch. Image:Starbase 13 sci patch.jpg|Sciences division patch. Related stories *"Flesh of My Flesh" (EV comic) - This issue depicts the ''Enterprise'' s mission in the Marrat system which she had previously been diverted from to deal with the Ngultor threat in Flesh of My Flesh. *'Kaaj's blood debt' - Kaaj tries to have his blood debt with Pike repaid with attempts at Pike's life in }} and " ". Images File:Varchas vs Enterprise.jpg|The Enterprise and Varchas in battle File:Kaaj intro.jpg|Kaaj introduces himself Image:Hal Wyeth.jpg|Commodore Hal Wyeth Image:Raeger.jpg|Ensign Raeger Image:Cayman.jpg|Cayman Image:Wrap Commodore.jpg|Hal Wyeth Image:Dress.jpg|Gabrielle Carlotti File:Marrat 1.jpg|One of the brigand starships File:Marrat 2.jpg|Another of the brigand starships File:Engineering in Pharos battle.jpg|''Enterprise'' engineering personnel during the battle File:Starbase 13 personnel.jpg|Starbase 13 personnel File:Starbase 13 repair man.jpg|A member of Starbase 13's crew File:Klingons on Varchas bridge.jpg|''Varchas'' bridge crew File:Klingons in Pharos.jpg|Klingons battle inside Pharos File:Pharos engineers.jpg|Project Pharos engineers External link * Fires of Pharos, The